Do you depend on food? Take action immediately

A few years ago, if you said that you were suffering from a real food addiction, psychologists would only smile at you in response, but today this question does not cause anyone to be surprised or, even more so, to laugh.

Dependence on food, akin to drug or alcohol addiction, is gaining more and more powerful momentum: today there are regrettable statistics, according to which 90% of women and 70% of men are subject to a sudden desire to eat. For some, this desire develops into a permanent and stable feeling.

How to determine that a person suffers from food addiction? Everything is very simple: these people constantly chew something, and the desire to eat something is in no way connected with the emerging feeling of hunger.

Food "addicts" do not just love tasty and satisfying food, they are not able to accept the reality of the problem, its existence and the need to fight it, they completely ignore the associated problems and even diseases, such as diabetes or obesity.

It is very difficult for people who are credited with such dependence to find the strength to struggle with extra pounds; every extra piece of food that was eaten causes them to feel guilty and self-flagellation, but they cannot cope with their situation.

As a result, deep depressions and apathy, a complete or partial loss of interest in life, in which food serves not so much, as a way to replenish its energy reserves, but as a “medicine” for all problems.

It is not by chance that experts equate this problem with drug addiction or alcoholism, because often not everyone can cope with it on their own, although everything depends on the degree of “illness”.

For example, it also happens that an addicted person becomes extremely nervous if he cannot momentarily quench his desire with the help of his beloved delicacy, as he is used to doing it all the time. In this case, it is better to contact a psychologist for help, which will help to cope with this problem with the help of special trainings and receptions.

Food addiction. Where does it come from?

It is not always easy to determine the cause of such a "disease", because each person has his own views on life, and on the amount of food consumed, in particular.

The most common cause is stress or nerve strain.

When you are very worried, it is completely unimportant because of what - because of the upcoming exam or an important meeting - does the hand reach for your favorite chocolate bar or bun, is it familiar?

You are not able to deny yourself such a pleasure, otherwise, you should regret or cheer yourself up before the exciting event, and it’s absolutely impossible to control the amount of food eaten at such moments, the more, the better. If you felt something similar, then, most likely, you suffer from food addiction.

The desire to constantly chew on something can also manifest itself from dissatisfaction in some sphere of human relations: failures in the professional field, problems in personal life, complexes due to appearance.

All these and other similar moments make a dependent person run into an “alternate reality”, where he draws positive emotions from a piece of something tasty and welcome.

He does not care that this is only momentary joy, for which he literally in 5 minutes will scold himself, getting a new stress, which again will “jam”.In the end, it turns out a vicious circle, which is not easy to break, but it is quite possible, even without the help of a doctor or a nutritionist.

Food addiction, as a rule, is a manifestation of life, which is devoid of deep and vivid emotions, interesting and intense events, positive communication, because the food completely compensates for all the failures, albeit not for long.

The desire to constantly chew something can manifest itself in those people who are used to combining food with some other process, for example, sitting at a computer, under a TV, or behind a book. It also happens that a person does not have enough free time, and he is forced to combine several cases at the same time, which is very detrimental to health. All these little things give rise to a pernicious habit in a person that must be fought, the sooner the better.

How to get rid of this addiction?

Many people who have acknowledged that they have encountered such a problem get lost at first, what to do? How to restrict yourself from the constant desire to pamper yourself with something delicious? First of all, it is important to understand that every urge to pull the handle of the refrigerator and pull a favorite piece of sausage out of it is not a signal of your body about the famine.

Your constant desire is, rather, a bad habit, from which you need to get rid of new and correct habits. Remember that between full meals should take at least 4-5 hours, all that between - this is self-indulgence, which, however, should exist, but within reasonable limits.

So, the first. Do not deprive yourself of snacking, small weaknesses should remain, it will allow you to feel calmer and more confident from a psychological point of view. But change the tactics of snacking: they should be very small and, better, useful. For example, do you like sweets? Please treat yourself to a couple of pieces of chocolate, not a whole bar, as it was before. Get a little crockery so your portions will be automatically limited. The first time, of course, will be strange, but literally in a couple of weeks you will get used to your new little plates.

Replace sweets and gingerbread with apples and pears, dried fruits and vegetables, healthy food can also be tasty and, importantly, useful. It turns out that you do not deprive yourself of the habit of having something to eat again, but let this “something” be low-calorie and healthy.

Avoid the temptations. Do not fill the refrigerator to the very top with your favorite foods; the more there, the sooner they will be in your stomach. Try to have a very small supply of what is needed, and do not keep your favorite chips, sweets and pastries at home. Who knows, maybe when you once again want a tasty one, you are too lazy to run after him to the store. But, low-calorie snack, something like an apple or a kiwi, always keep somewhere nearby.

Constantly encourage yourself. Praise for every diet you eat, compliment yourself and approve your actions - you should have a feeling of admiration for yourself - such feelings are no worse than the pleasure of your favorite food. For self-confident and successful people, the desire to seize their problems disappears automatically.

Fill your life with new emotions and impressions. It is important to understand that food is not the only way to get positive emotions. Go in for sports, the main thing is the kind that you like, sign up in a circle of drawing or hand-made, in general, do what you like, and you will not have time to look back, as you will find an excellent substitute for your "illness".